Preamble
Every now and again you come across a song that you can't stop listening to. One that gets into your head like an ear worm, consuming your thoughts and mind like a love sick fiend. Okay, I know. Calm down that's a bit much. But you may find yourself going back to it again and again, enjoying its sound and also trying to figure out and understand it's meaning.
Such was the case for me with the song "It's Called: Freefall" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise. I probably listened to it 15 times over the weekend and then many times more to write this post. Here is the song for your listening enjoyment.
Rainbow Kitten Sunrise (or RKS for short) is an indie alternative rock band hailing out of North Carolina U.S. It was formed in 2013 and the song was released in 2018. Its not a new song by any means, just new to me.
Like many good songs, this one can be interpreted in different ways. I actually completely changed my thoughts on its meaning several times as I listened to it. At first I thought that it was about struggling with a mental health concern like depression and over coming it through acceptance and letting go. Then I think the video got to me a bit because I started to think that maybe it was about the Devil trying to deceive an unknown protagonist to get them to kill themselves. Then I stumbled upon a brief blurb about the song meaning from the band. The full interview can be found here but all that is mentioned about the song can be read in the quote below.
A sort of personal rock bottom for me, I felt as though I had misjudged my ability to contribute positively to the wellbeing of my friends. I gave up. In folk tales, the Devil’s roll is often a form of wish fulfillment with a mischievous twist. I mused that perhaps the Devil wasn’t a malicious gifter, but rather the recipients were clueless as to what they really wanted or his fulfillment isn’t exact. Either way, the Devil won’t ever receive sympathy for the miscalculation.
After reading over the blurb a few more times I went back to my original idea but with a small alteration. I think I'm satisfied now, though there are still parts that I'm confused about and can't reconcile fully. But that's the nature of song lyrics, they can be fragments of ideas and aren't always linear. Words are used to convey meaning but also to create an elegant flow to the overall sound. This can lead to discrepancies in the story.
But enough preamble, you can read my analysis and interpretation below.
Note: All images in this article were taken from the official video unless otherwise noted.
Lyrics and Interpretation
Called to the Devil and the Devil did come.
I said to the devil, "Devil do you like drums?
Do you like cigarettes, dominoes, rum?
"He said only "sundown, Sundays, Christmas"
The Devil is a deal maker and a fulfiller of wishes and our protagonist, the narrator of the story, calls the Devil in order to strike a deal with him.
Breaking the ice he asks the Devil about his vices, assuming that he likes rock music, substances and gambling. Surprisingly though, the Devil actually likes sunsets (beautiful moments), holidays (times of celebration with family) and Sundays (a day when people go to church).
Perhaps these are times when the Devils services are called on the least? Times when he is alone?
Some day's end when I need a few friends
Now and again I could never hope to keep them
Thought to give friends what I thought that they wanted
Never had they needed a good friend as I've been
Here the protagonist talks about being a friend and how he considers himself to be a great friend to others. We get a sense that the protagonist tries hard in his relationships and does what he thinks is right and helpful but that things don't seem to go the way he expects them to. His gestures actually end up backfiring and people get angry with him or upset and he often finds himself feeling alone and depressed.
Don't get me venting on friends who resent you
'cause all you've ever done is been a noose to hang on to
They thought was a necklace and reckless they fell into hell where you both hang with nothing to do but
Scratch, kick, let gravity win like
Fuck this, let gravity win like
You could leave it all behind,
even the Devil needs time alone sometimes
The Devil empathizes with the protagonist and describes his own struggles with people. The Devil "helps" people by giving them what they ask for, what they want and what they desire, but then those people end up resenting him for it.
I get the sense that the Devil is actually trying to help the protagonist here by offering him some wisdom. It's like he is giving him a way out of the deal before he accepts it and it's too late. Its like he's saying:
"I can give you what you desire but it won't make you happy. What you need to do is spend some time on your own. Fix your own problems instead of trying to solve other people's problems for them."
It's about self care. It's like, you can't help others if you yourself are drowning.
You could let it all go, you could let it all go
It's Called: Freefall
It's Called: Freefall
To me the chorus is about acceptance. The Devil tells the protagonist to accept the situation and let go of all their baggage, to stop struggling to change the situation and make it better. Freefall and let go.
Nowadays, all modern therapies, whuch are often referred to as "fourth wave models," incorporate a form of mindfulness and acceptance in them.
Trying to change our feelings of anxiety and depression or any other mental health concern often does very little from a long term perspective. Accepting our situation and learning skills to cope with our feelings in the moment tends to help a lot more in the end.
Called to the Devil and the Devil said quit
Can't be bothered, better handle your shit
Keep about your wits man, keep about your wits
Know yourself and who you came in with
Can I sit down I've been hustling all day
I can't even count how many souls I've made
Off the same deal you on
Remember: The Devil ain't a friend to no one
But FUN, true
You could let it all go, you could let it all go
It's Called: Freefall
It's Called: Freefall
Here we learn that the protagonist didn't take the Devils advice on acceptance and letting go. He took the deal and got some form of superficial material or status. But the deal didn't make him happy in the end. Distractions, material goods and superficial desires never do. He's still calling the Devil to talk about his same issue and we get a sense that he has done this many times previously. He may have taken many more "deals" as well.
The protagonist is also kind of using the Devil as a sort of confidante or friend, in a way. But like the Devil says "He ain't a friend to no one." His relationships are transactional in nature.
Even though the Devil is tired after spending a day fulfilling peoples wishes he still has a moment of sympathy for the protagonist and again gives him some words of wisdom:
"Drop you baggage. Let go and stay true to yourself."
Called to the Devil and the Devil said "Hey!
Why you been calling this late?
It's like 2 A.M. and the bars all close at 10 in hell, that's a rule I made"
Anyway, you say you're too busy saving everybody else to save yourself
And you don't want no help, oh well
That's the story to tell
It's 2 A.M. and the protagonist is feeling low again. He seeks out the Devil for comfort and maybe to strike another deal for a bit of "in the moment satisfaction." Money, power, substances, sex...these things will take away his pain and make him feel better, right? But the Devil turns him away, he doesn't make deals this late. Instead he points out that the protagonist refuses to help himself and how he keeps making excuses why he can't.
"I'm too busy helping others to help myself."
That's just the story we tell ourselves. Its our excuse. The crutch we lean on.
You could let it all go, you could let it all go
It's Called: Freefall
It's Called: Freefall
You could let it all go, you could let it all go
Cause ain't shit free but falling out
And that shit's easy let me show you how, it's like...
Ain't shit free but falling out
And that shit's easy let me show you how, it's like...
Acceptance, forgiveness, and things of that nature - these things aren't free, they do come at a cost (both good and bad) to ourselves and possibly our relationships. They also seem hard at times, but that's usually because we fill ourselves with excuses why we cannot do them. But in the end it's easy, it's just a matter of letting go.
If you like it then I also recommend checking out Devil Like Me by the band, as it's also quite good.
Well that's it for now. Let me know your thoughts on the song, my interpretation and your own ideas in the comments. If you would like to read more song interpretations that I've written feel free to click the links below. Ive compiled a list of my favorites. Until next time, thanks for reading.
Life is Short so "Come Along" with Cosmo Sheldrake
Rise to power, an internal struggle - DLZ TV on the Radio
Always Love by Nada Surf
We used to Wait by Arcade Fire
Crypto Rocket Man
This last one is a little different. It's not an interpretation but a fictional scenario based on the feeling one gets when buying crypto and its all to a two song Mashup. I recommend listening to the songs and playing them in your head as you read the story. Why this one only made 2.00 on Steemit is beyond me - I'm still laughing at this. This was gold, if I do say so my self.